Flowers, chocolates and fluffy bears are all popular gifts for Valentine’s Day.  At times, there are so many choices out there that it becomes difficult to make a final decision.  This often leads to last minute decisions and could leave you feeling like you could have done more to make your Valentine feel the love.  So, when you’re looking for that perfect Valentine’s Day gift, here are some tips to remember:
Don’t wait until the last minute
Planning can be done way in advance and you don’t even have to wait until the new year to start brain storming.  If you are holiday from work over the festive season, you might find that you have a few extra moments to yourself for thinking and planning.  If you don’t have time over the holidays, you can always make the most of your lunch breaks at work and jot down your ideas as per the guidelines listed below.
Set a budget
Only you know how much you can afford to spend on your Valentine.  It might be more than last year or it could be less.  Your budget will define what you are able to buy and what sort of plans you can make for a romantic afternoon or evening together.  Take an honest look at your finances and set some money aside.
List ideas
This is one of the fun steps and can also be one of the most challenging since you’ll need to put that brain to work!  Whether you enjoy putting pen to paper or would rather type your list up on your computer, it’s totally up to you.  The advantage of drafting a word type document or spreadsheet would be that you could add links and/or product images to your list.
Think of all the things your partner likes and enjoys.  Think of their preferences, passions and even their guilty pleasures.
Do research online
Once you have some ideas, it’s time to put the internet to good use and run some searches online.  So, if your Valentine is a chocaholic, there would be nothing better than a chocolate hamper filled with all the most luxurious and decadent chocolate treats.  The kinds that you don’t find in just any corner shop or supermarket and the kind that you savour rather than gobble down in just a few bites.  Wine hampers are ideal if you know that your Valentine enjoys at least the occasional glass.  You may want to pay attention and take note of their pallet in terms of red, white and rosé.  You should also research the wine gift to find out if the wines included are on the sweet or dry side in order to best appeal to your partner’s preferences.  When choosing the most romantic hamper for Valentine’s Day, the main key to remember is to find something that your partner will love.  Ignore your own preferences and think purely of them and what they will want.
Compare prices / shop around
Once you have settled on the best possible idea or a couple of final ideas, it’s time to shop around and compare prices.  There are a number of online shops that offer great hamper for all occasions.  The first thing you will need to do is make sure that they deliver to your area and then you can shop around to you heart’s content!  Take your time browsing, comparing products and prices.  Make sure that you do indeed stick to your budget and don’t overspend!  In some cases a delivery fee might be applicable so it’s important to plan for this too.
Place your order
Once you have found the perfect gift and it is within your price range, go ahead and place your order!  Unlike fresh flowers, you can have your Valentine’s Day hamper delivered a number of days in advance (provided it does not contain any fresh produce of course).  If you order a sweets hamper, for example, you can have it delivered to your workplace a couple of days in advance and you can hide it here out of sight so that you can surprise your partner on Valentine’s Day!  Make sure that you do not leave your hamper in direct sunlight, near heat or let it get too cold, damp or wet.  If you order a wine hamper or any other beverage hamper, you should make sure that it is kept at a reasonable temperature so that the drinks don’t freeze!  The bottles and/or bottle tops could expand or loosen and this could compromise the quality of the contents.  Just imagine how a carbonated drink tastes after it has been frozen.